The Deal
by Alania Black
Summary: Remus accidentally lets slip about something not quite true. Now only Sirius can help him sort it out... Slash, RLSB Rating has gone up!
1. 1 The Deal

IMPORTANT NOTE: I realised at about chapter five that there were slight discrepancies between this one and the others. Namely the fact the Sirius kisses Remus in this one, when they aren't supposed to have the first kiss until later. So I've fixed all those little problems, before someone notices and yells at me... I have kept the authors notes and such the same as they were before, though, cause I like to read them, so I didn't want to deprive one of my loyal fans cough cough.

I've been re-reading and editing and such while I've been able to get on to my computer (don't ask!). So, this is my first re-post and whatever. I shall be getting back onto the horse very soon, so to speak.

Fic:I saw Picture Perfect, and this idea just came into my head. It is clchéd and stupid, but I like it! Anyhoo, I didn't see the ending to Picture Perfect, so I don't know what happens. So, the ending, at least, is completely my own, twisted influence!

WARNINGS: Lots of gay men on top of other gay men in a gay men way. That means GAY! Spoilers for book three, but if you didn't already know that Remus, Sirius, James and Peter went to school together, then where the hell have you been! This is set in MWPP sixth year era, not in the normal one. Also, I think it is slightly AU, as I really don't think they're screwing in the books. If they are then JK Rowling knows how to write subtle!

DISCLAIMER: Sigh I own many, many things. I do not, however, own the Harry Potter books. I'm kinda glad I don't actually. Has anyone else considered what a pain in the arse that would be? I have enough trouble with fan/hate mail and stress with just these fics. No thanks! Keep 'em!

SUMMARY: Remus accidentally lets slip about something not quite true. Now only Sirius can help him sort it out...

The Deal.

Chapter One, The Lie.

Remus was becoming increasingly pissed off with the way the Prefects meeting was going. It was actually supposed to be a meeting, right? So why was everyone else just sat around with their various partners, many of which were not even Prefects, shoving their tongues down their throats on random occasions? Was he the only single Prefect going? Even Frank, a slightly clumsly, forgetful fifth year Gryffindor with a round face and a stutter was sat in a corner with this hands firmly up Alice's shirt. He tried to make the excuse that it was because he was slightly gay (not that they knew that!), but Robert, a Hufflepuff fifth year, was sat on his boyfriend's lap, clearly enjoying himself. So was his boyfriend, but that could be because of _where_ Robert was, and the fact that Robert was a chronic fidgeter. He scowled and stood up, gathering his things to leave.

"Oy, Rem, where are you going, we're in the middle of a meeting!" Amos, the sixth year Hufflepuff Prefect called. He turned around, spotted his hands curled with his girlfriends's, who wasn't even old enough to actually be a Prefect, and sighed irritably.

"I've got a migrane coming on, and I cannot be bothered to stand around watching you have what can only be described as a mass orgy, pretending to be in a meeting. Besides, I have to see Sirius." There were a few raised eyebrows at Remus, the strictest Prefect, walking out of a meeting, but no one seemed to really notice. Except Amos.

"Oh, so what you mean is 'I'm completely jealous because everyon else has a girlfriend or a boyfriend and I'm all alone'." Remus felt his temper reach breaking point.

"No, what I actually mean is that I want to see my boyfriend right about now and I can't be arsed to sit around, wasting good time!" He only realised that he'd actually lied, and said he had a boyfriend, which basically meant came out, way after he'd done it. He also realised that every Prefect or Prefect attatchment had heard him. _'Oh God, Remus, what have you done!' _

"Boyfriend? Remus, are you saying you're gay!" Amos asked incredulously.

"err..." Remus flushed bright red with embarrasment.

"Well, who is he?" Asked one of the girls excitedly.

"I know who he is! It's Sirius! I've seen the way they are together, and everyone knows Sirius plays on that pitch occasionally!" Another random girl called. Amos noded excitedly.

"Well, he did say he was going to see him! My, my Remus, you naughty boy! Well, don't let us keep you." He indicated the door for the blushing werewolf. Remus hastily escaped, realising with a sinking feeling that he hadn't actually denied anything. _'the whole school will know by Monday!'_

True to his word, Remus made his way to see Sirius. He meandered down a few hallways, walked to the other end of the Castle and stopped off in the infirmary for a migrane banishing potion first, but eventually, he did reach Sirius.

When he got there, Sirius was sat on one of the couches in the Common Room. When Remus came in, he sat up further and smiled brightly.

"Remus, how was the meeting?" He asked. He smiled comfortingly when Remus sat heavily on one of the couches and buried his head in his hands, groaning. He touched his shoulder gently. "Come on Rem, what happened?" At that point, he heard the portrait hole open, and the Gryffindor Prefects and their various attatchments, as well as a few people that they had met on their way, came tumbling through. They spotted Remus, sat on the couch, Sirius' hand still resting comfortably on his shoulder. He saw a couple of grins and raised eyebrows. Before they had a chance to comment, he grabbed Sirius' other hand and pulled him out, leading him to the stairs to the boy's dorms.

"Remus!" He cried frustratedly, when they finally stopped, "What the hell are you doing? I was waiting for Mark, in seventh year. Oh, he's gonna be so pissed off at me."

"Oh, god, you're dating someone! Shit, what did I do!" Remus was pacing across the room, panicking. He knew that telling everyone that he and Sirius were dating was a bad idea, but he couldn't go back on it now.

"Okay, Remmie, it cannot be that bad. Just, sit down and tell me exactly what you did." Sirius said in a calming voice, puling him gently onto the bed. Remus took a deep breath. Sirius was going to kill him for this!

"Okay, well, you know how I've said the Prefects meetings were turning into mass orgies? Yeah, well, today I got really pissed off about it and tried to leave. Of course, Amos just had to ask about it. I said I had to go because I had a migrane and I had to meet you. He said it was just because I was jealous that I was the only person there without a date. I said no, that I was just pissed off that I was missing valuable time that I could be spending with my... my boyfriend. One of the girls kinda put my two sentences together and... well..." Sirius looked confused. Slowly, a smirk spread across his face.

"Remmie, did you tell them you were dating me?" He asked, incredulous amusement in his voice.

"No! Not exactly. They... came to the conclusion that I was dating you. I just didn't happen to contradict them." Remus replied sheepishly.

"My god, now everyone thinks I'm dating you! Well, there goes that date with Mark! Why did you say you had a boyfriend? Wouldn't it be more fitting to say you had a girlfriend?" Sirius asked. Remus suddenly looked like he found the carpet extremely interesting.

"Err... no, a boyfriend is quite fitting. I'm gay, Sirius."

"Big surprise there. So, I take it this isn't just a head's up?"

"No. Would, would you mind?" Sirius reached out and grasped Remus' chin gently, tilting it upwards. He smiled gently at Remus' soft blush, running the back of his hand over his cheek.

"I certainly wouldn't mind pretending to be your boyfriend, Remus, as long as I get all the..." His eyes trailed a firey path down Remus' body, "Perks that go with the job." Remus blushed even deeper.

"Thanks, Sirius."

A/N;Thanks!

Love Chibi AlaniaXXX


	2. 2 James

**Well, here's chapter two, finally! Sorry it took so long, I actually had it mostly finished within a week of being back from berlin, but it's been hell getting on since. This ahs been the first time I've been able to post this, believe me! I promise the next installment will happen much quicker! **

**Warnings, Disclaimers, etc in the first chapter, thanks to all who reviewed!**

**The Deal.**

**Chapter two, James.**

**James and Peter were quite surprised the next morning when Remus and Sirius rushed in quite late for breakfast. They were more surprised by the catcalls and whistles that followed them.**

**"What's going on?" James whispered to Sirius. He grinned, glancing at Remus.**

**"My darling Remus decided to tell everyone about our relationship." He drawled, before he smiled fondly at Remus, "silly idiot that he is. We had agreed to keep it quiet."**

**"You and Remus are dating!?" Peter shrieked. Sirius smirked, ignoring all the spectators, and kissed Remus deeply. He then looked at Peter, the look plainly saying 'what do you think?'.**

**"Oh. OH!" He gasped, finally comprehending it all. "Umm... cool." He squeaked. Sirius just smirked at him.**

**"Hey, James, you all right?" Remus asked, frowning at James, who had gone incredibly pale.**

**"Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna go to Potions." He muttered distractedly. Remus nodded, frowning in confusion and worry. James just gathered his things and walked off, without looking back.**

**Sirius could tell Remus was worried. It was clear in his golden eyes, in his stiff posture, in the way he would turn the page, calculatedly, every so often, without having read a single word. He was worried, concerned over James' lack of communication since or about this morning.**

**He wanted to cheer him up, make that worry go away. It was his job, as loving and loyal boyfriend, to do so. If he was in a normal relationship with Remus, that would be all too easy, but this wasn't normal relationship and Remus wasn't a normal boy. He was not only dealing with lying to a friend, he was also dealing with coming out to the entire school and coming out in a relationship with his best friend at the same time. James obviously had a problem with one of those concepts, and Sirius had a feeling he knew which one.**

**James was too easy to find, really. Far too easy, and Sirius knew that he had wanted to be found, he'd probably been waiting for Sirius to hunt him down since this morning.**

He'd gone to one of the abandoned classrooms in the West Wing of the school. The West part of the school had been abandoned many years ago. No one knew what happened to that part of the school, all they knew was that it was completely abandoned. No one ever used the rooms for anything, most people liked to pretend it didn't exist. It was perfect for the Marauders, and they'd turned a few of the rooms into our their private rooms. Some had cleverly concealed beds, some had tables set up for quiet working, some had couches for relaxing and playing and they'd even attempted to recreate the Room of Requirement using one of them.

James was in the work area, next door to the room with the beds. He seemed to be working, and on further inspection, Sirius could see it was the finishing touches to the second Marauders' Map, the first one having been confiscated last week.

**"Why are you doing this to him?"**

**"Doing what?"**

**"Hurting him, hiding from him. He wants your approval, and you are sulking up here like a pathetic child."**

**"I am a child, Sirius, and so is he! Have you even considered what this could do to him? Werewolves mate for life, Siri, and I know you couldn't stay with him for life, you'd get bored. So the question is why are _you _doing this to him, because we both know you won't be able to handle a relationship without sex for more than a few days." James muttered, "We both know."**

**"James, just because we didn't... look, I know about Werewolves and their mating habits, and I know that I can't have sex with him, but I'm not with him for sex, and we can certainly manage everything else. Who knows, James, I may even decide one day that I could be with him for the rest of my life. The fact is, we're happy now, and we have been for far longer than a 'few days', and we will hopefully continue to be, and we'd appreciate your support. He needs it, even if I understand why you could never give it to me, at least try to give it to him, OK?" James glared sullenly, but finally relented.**

**"Fine, I'll go congratulate him. But I don't believe for one second that you two are going to work out, you're too much of a 'here today, gone tomorrow' man, and he's been forced into the whole 'white picket fence and forever' kind of deal."**

**"I get that, just don't go saying stuff like that to Remmie and we'll be okay, Now come on, even Peter's being better than you with this, and I half expected him to be the one to blow, not you. Why are you being so jugemental. I know you're not like that, but Remus… Remus is petrified that you're homophobic and you're up here planning ways to lynch us!"**

**"Yeah, well, Peter wasn't dumped by one of the involved parties, was he? I'm sorry, I know I'm being unfair to Remus, but Sirius, what you have with him, what you must have, considering his mating habits… that's what I wanted, and it… it hurts me that he can give you that and I can't." James sighed. "I'm just a little hurt rght now, I'll get over it… just make sure I'm best man, alright!" He laughed, despite the pain shining in his eyes, and headed towards the door. "I suppose I'll go and congratulate the blushing bride, shall I?"**

**After a moment's pause, Sirius laughed as well, moving towards James by the door and slinging an arm around his shoulders, ruffling his hair.**

**"He'd kill you if he heard you call him that, you realise that, right?" James giggled. "What?"**

**"I always knew you were a closet bottom, Siri!" With that james ran to the Common Room before the other boy could murder him. **


	3. 3 True Love

Hey there peeps! I have posted another chapter of "When Love and Hate Collide" and I am posting another one with this chapter. So, I haven't been slacking off! I am attempting to post a chapter a week, and it should be much, much easier when I have next week over with. Next week the production of "Les Miserables" that I'm involved in is being performed, and then I'm on Xmas break! Yaay! So, bear with me, folks! These WILL come at a regular interval if I have to kill myself with exhaustion to get it that way!

On to better and brighter things, I was delighted by the feedback I got from this fic. As of the next chapter, every review shall be mentioned, and I shall be backlogging, so I will be adding thanks to the end of these. It doesn't make sense, I know I could wait, however I know what I'm doing and I also now that to add then on here and then post this will probably take a week (My ability to get online is incredibly limited!) so I shall do it this way. Besides, it gives me another opportunity to check for, and correct, mistakes. I am my own Beta (I'm on the market!) therefore I could have left mistakes in there. Huge, glaring mistakes like "the strange scent reached his ears", that was pointed out to me in WLAHC. Hmm, I think there may be something wrong with this statement, ne?

I have just written up the plan for this fic, and I realized that this will be about 45 to 50 chapters long. Bugger. I have the distinct feeling I will, more than likely, make about 30 to 35 of those a sequel piece. This doesn't strike me as a very long one. However, as with most things, the decision is entirely up to you.

Okay, enough of my blabbering. On with the fic!

The Deal.

Chapter Three, True Love.

James and Sirius danced around eachother for about a week after their little conversation. Sirius knew James needed time to get over it, and who knows, maybe he could even find a girlfriend in the process. James had sworn off men after his little escapade with Sirius, deciding girls could give him what he wanted where men (well, the ones he liked, anyway) all seemed interested in sex, and only sex.

James, on the other hand, wanted to stay out of the way and give Sirius and Remus a chance to develop their relationship. He knew that his presence would only cause tension, so whenever he saw the two together, looking 'Loverly' at eachother, he'd get out of there.

It had nothing to do with jealousy. That was James' story, and he was sticking to it.

James, however, did spend a lot of time watching the two of them. Within a few days, he came to a slightly painful realization. Sirius hadn't been lying; they could make it through mating. It was obvious, more than obvious, really, that the two boys were in love with eachother. He couldn't help a smile as he thought of it. How often had Remus told them he'd never fall in love, because no one would ever love him enough to mate with him? And here he was, in love with one of those he swore this to.

"What's got you all happy, then?" Came Remus' soft voice. James looked up at him and grinned.

"You, actually."

"Look, Jim, I may swing that way, but I'm with Sirius right now. I'm sorry, I just don't look at you in that way." Remus grinned to show he was only joking, and James laughed.

"Nah, sorry Rem, you know I've sworn off men. Terrible for your self esteem, really. I was actually thinking about you and Sirius. You two are so in love it's amazing." Remus grinned lightly, but his eyes looked as if he was elsewhere.

"Hah, yeah, I'll bet!" He laughed, brushing the comment off and heading off to do his homework.

It wasn't until the others had gone to bed and he was sitting in the Common Room with Sirius that he even thought about it again.

"You know, Siri, Jim said something interesting today."

"Yeah? What did he say?"

"He told me that we were so in love it's amazing."

"In love. Yeah, right. If only Jim knew, eh?"

"Yeah." Remus agreed, trying to suppress the stab of sadness he felt hearing Sirius laugh over it.

"Look, Rem, I'm going to go for a shower and then bed. Do you want to go out tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we could go to Hogsmeade, the four of us haven't gone there for a few weeks."

"No, no, I meant me and you go out on our own." It took Remus a few minutes to realize what Sirius meant.

"Sirius," he smirked, looking eerily like the other boy for a minute, "Are you asking me out on a date?" Sirius flushed deeply, looking away.

"Well... yeah, I guess I am. There's this fantastic little café in Hogsmeade, and it's a Hogsmeade weekend this weekend anyway."

"Yeah, yeah, that would be great. When did the Hogsmeade weekend happen? I didn't hear about it."

"Umm, three weeks ago. You were in the Hospital Wing." Remus' eyes darkened slightly. It had been a Full Moon that Tuesday, reminding him that the next Full Moon was only 3 days away. It seemed like they came on so quickly, especially this week. It had gone so fast, especially with the Prefects meeting the previous Thursday (It was the next Friday today). Everything since then had gone by in a whirl. It felt like, since that Friday, he'd barely had a chance to sit down.

Of course, that may have also had something to do with the fact that it took him four days to recover from that kiss on Friday. He hadn't dared to tell Sirius, but it had been his first. Since the bite, his parents barely looked at him, let alone touched him or kissed him. He couldn't even remember being kissed on the cheek, and suddenly he'd been kissed by his best friend. Even though it had been rather chaste compared to Sirius' usual kisses, which involved tongues, and a lot of them, it still blew him away.

"You okay, Rem?" Remus jumped, startled out of his thoughts. Sirius was so close; he could just reach out a little and kiss him again... It would be so easy.

"Yeah... I'm fine, I think I just need to go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow, on our," he smirked again, "_date_."

They went to up to bed, whispering goodnight as they crawled under the covers. Remus, however, couldn't sleep. Even though he'd meant it as a joke, he couldn't help but feel excited at the thought that Sirius had asked him on a date – real or not.

'_God, Sirius, I wish you knew just what you do to me. I wish this could be real, but I know you could never handle that. I could hardly handle that. Ironic, isn't it, we'll last longer pretending we're together than we will actually being together. Such is life, and mine seems unbearably cruel right now.' _Remus blinked away sudden tears, and rolled over, falling asleep quickly.


	4. 4 Date

YES! Xmas break! Hopefully this means my chapters will be closer together. This is dedicated, therefore, to Santa! I'm a Wiccan, therefore my Xmas is completely commercial. They stole the idea from us in the first place! I do. However, celebrate Yule, and I wish all my Pagan and Wiccan readers, as well as everyone else out there, a very, very happy Yule, and Merry Xmas! Spread the love, people, that's what Xmas is all about!

I LOVE YOU ALL! This is my most popular fics! I got so many reviews!

Celi: Darling, you have become my no.1 fan! Don't we all feel that way! Hopefully, this chapter should cheer him up. 

goddess-of-the-sacred-river: Thanks for the review, here's the next installment!

Lillei: Cool, thanks! You're making me blush! I found it anyway, so don't worry. Can't wait for your next chapter either!

Tanya J Potter: Yeah, here it is, hope you keep enjoying this as much as I do!

Shadow Cat17: Yeah, as long as you keep reviewing, I'll keep on writing!

Lhune: Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Yes, a very confusing review – I like you! I think that's part of the fun of it all, that they're pretending to be what they are… Scratches head Umm… Confused!

hp4me: Definitely my favourite review! I hope you keep on liking it!

Disclaimer, warning and summary in chapter one. This is dedicated to hp4me, for my favorite review!

The Deal.

Chapter 4, Date.

Sirius got up the next morning with an indistinct feeling of nervousness in his gut. It was only when he heard Remus get up and move towards the showers that he remembered why. He'd asked the younger Werewolf on a date today!

Sirius got out of bed and went towards the shower block. It was incredibly early, about 7, so he and Remus were the only ones up. He went in, but he paused when he heard a strange sound. He was about to brush it off when he heard it again. It was a soft moaning sort of noise. He crept across to the shower stall that Remus was in and peeked in, his mouth going dry as he did so.

Remus was leaning against the back wall of the shower stall, his eyes tightly closed and his hand hesitantly touching himself. It looked like this was his first time, and Sirius felt a little guilty about spying. But, looking at Remus in this state, he couldn't help himself. He'd never seen the Werewolf like this; he was always so reserved.

Sirius hesitantly crept up in front of Remus, and one of his hands reached out, shaking slightly, and warm fingers ran gently over the hand that Remus had wrapped around himself.

Remus' reaction was instantaneous. He froze, before his eyes flew open in shock. He turned a brilliant shade of red, staring guiltily and almost afraid into Sirius' eyes.

"S…Sirius... Sirius, I..." He looked like a wild rabbit who'd scented a fox, scared and ready to bolt at the first flash of a red tail.

"Shh..." Sirius soothed the werewolf, his hand, which had rested on Remus', tightened slightly and began to move Remus' hand slowly up and down, linking their fingers as he did so. "Would you like a hand with that, Remus?" He murmured, keeping his voice low and calm. Remus' eyes squeezed closed, and he turned his head to the side, his breaths raspy and uneven. Sirius gently moved Remus' hand away, smiling softly at the vulnerable look on the other boy's face. He looked stunned and confused, but Sirius could also see pleasure there. He tightened his grip slightly, and moved a bit faster. Remus moaned softly.

"Ohh, do you like that?" He breathed, eyes locked on Remus', which had flown to Sirius' face as he moaned. Sirius maintained eye contact until, biting his lip to hold back a breathy moan, Remus came in Sirius' hand.

Sirius gave Remus a few seconds to recover, before he gently kissed his, briefly on the lips. He then left, going and having his own shower.

He met Remus in the Common Room twenty minutes later, and they silently made their way to Hogsmeade. Neither boy said anything until they arrived at the café Sirius had mentioned. "The Witches' Circle" was a small, nice looking café, with warm vanilla colored walls and light beech tables and chairs. There was a pretty chandelier in the ceiling, and candles on each table, however, most light was coming from the huge windows, which were directly facing the rising sun, with a fantastic view of Hogsmeade.

Sirius ordered a Strawberry Milkshake, and Remus ordered the chocolate one, they both also ordered Cornish Pasties, as they had skipped breakfast.

It was Remus who broke the silence, with a softly murmured "Why?"

"Pardon?"

"I said "why?" Why did you invite me out? Why did you kiss me? Why did you... do _that_ this morning?"

"Err, well, I... I kissed you because it seemed like the best thing to do to convince people. I wanted to go out with you today because I wanted time with you, and going on a date could do that, and convince people we're together at the same time."

"And this morning? Who were you convincing then?"

"This morning... This morning I... well... you just looked so damned alluring like that. I mean you looked so sexy and vulnerable and... and I couldn't help myself. I've made no secret of the fact I find both sexes attractive, and I've never seen anything as attractive as that."

"oh." There was a pleased flush on Remus' cheeks as he contemplated this.

"It was the first time you've ever... done that, wasn't it?" Remus flushed, but nodded.

"I... I've, being what I am, contact has been pretty rare, and I survived on what I had, but... well, with you, I have a lot more than I had and I... I needed to let dome of it out."

"Contact being rare... Remus, have you never..."

"I'm a werewolf, Siri, we mate for life!" Remus hissed, flushing.

"Oh, I know _that_. I meant, have you never kissed anyone... before me." Remus flushed deeper, but nodded.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Had I know, I would have done it better... private, you know, maybe a bit longer, gentler..."

"No, no... It was perfect, don't worry."

"I am, though... you deserve better." Sirius got up and moved around to sit next to Remus, discreetly slipping an arm around his waist. "And I'll feel really guilty if you don't get it."

This time, it was perfect. Sirius took it slowly, gently slipping his other arm around Remus, pulling him closer as his hand gently traced patterns down his cheek. He opened his mouth slightly, deepening the kiss, before he traced his tongue around Remus' lips and slid it in when Remus opened his mouth in a gasp. The kiss continued, Sirius ensuring it was soft and gentle, teasing Remus with his tongue and making him moan delightfully. Eventually, he broke away, leaving Remus to gasp softly.

"That's what a first kiss should be, Remus."

They spent the rest of the day wandering around, holding hands for no particular reason except that they were more comfortable like that. At about 2, almost all the Hogwarts kids had come, so they bought some of Remus' favorite chocolate and went back to the dorms. They shared some of the chocolate, before Remus stashed the rest away for future use.

The two of them spent the afternoon messing around in the Dorms, generally having fun. They had dinner in the kitchens and headed to bed quite early.

As he climbed into bed, Sirius was surprised to hear a nervous mumble behind him.

"hmm?"

"Well, I... I was wondering, I get nightmares, really bad ones, and... well... I thought, maybe... since we're... you know, I could... see how it was with someone else, just... just for a night." Sirius smiled softly at him. Remus Lupin certainly was like no one else he'd ever known.

"Of course, Remus." He finished getting dressed, pulling his old shirt on over his boxers, before climbing in. Remus was already there, curled up under his covers. Sirius smiled at the wonderful feeling of coming home that he got as he curled in around Remus, holding the boy gently in his arms as they fell asleep together.

A/N. I know it seems like they're together, but they're not, they're just testing how far they can go before they have gone too far... Yeah, I didn't believe me, either!

MERRY XMAS, HAPPY HANUKAH, COOL YULE, and great whatever other celebration you may have! See you soon, until then, don't forget to R&R!


	5. 5 Lily

Hi! I hope you had a good holiday. I'm getting ready to go back to school. Everybody, pray for my poor soul! I'm going to hell! I have GCSE Mock Exams as of Tuesday and so far, my revision timetable has definitely _not_ worked out! I'm actually worried! It's a first, usually I wing it and come out with top grades, but now? Now, I become worried.

This has officially gone on to an R rating. Don't worry, though, it shouldn't get any worse than the shower scene in the last chapter, and if you're reading this then I'll assume you read that, so you should be fine! I hope. Don't sue me if I mentally scar you!

Well, disclaimer, warnings and summary in the first chapter!

The Deal.

Chapter 5, Lily.

Lily Evans was not the type to worry about heartless, cruel prats such as James Potter. She didn't purposely follow him around for a week, trying to find out what was wrong with him and she most certainly did not come close to tears when she walks in on him crying in a classroom. Well, she tried to tell herself that, anyway. It was those bloody tears in her eyes that were the problem, though. How were you supposed to persuade yourself that you didn't care when you had a hard time preventing yourself from crying?

"Potter? What's wrong?"

"Evans? What are you doing here?" Potter gasped, turning away from her and trying to get rid of his tears. So far, he was doing a bad job of it. He jumped and whirled around when Lily gently placed a hand on his arm.

"Potter, don't try and persuade me you weren't crying. I saw you. What's wrong, you've been acting weird for over a week."

"It's not important."

"It is important if you're crying over it. Talk to me, it'll be better to get it out and explain to someone impartial, who can listen and offer advice and –"

"Who sounds like bloody Dumbledore? Fine, if you really want to know. Err, sit, this'll take a while to explain." James made sure she was sitting comfortably before he started.

"Well, it all started about six months ago...

It had been a joke, between him and Sirius. Sirius had told him he generally preferred men, and James had said he preferred men too, more than Sirius. It had been a joke, mean to stir up some friendly competition, they did this a lot. Sirius had challenged him to prove it. They had decided to prove it by seeing who would go farthest with a boy before they gave in and gave up. Of course, being alone, the only boy to use was the other. So, they started off small, kisses, gentle touches. Sirius had been the one to push it forward each step. He was the one who started stroking James, he was the one who moved on to oral pleasure first, he was the one who started on penetration first. Even when Sirius was fucking him, hard and fast; until even James wasn't sure if he was screaming in pain or pleasure, he just knew he wanted this more than anything; it was still under the ruse of the competition.

When Sirius suggested the next morning that they really hadn't decided the night before, and demanded a rematch, James was all too happy to oblige. And so it went, for a good week or so, that they had this relationship. They agreed, after the second round of morning sex, that they did actually want a relationship, rather than this silly competition.

So, James spent a blissful week dating Sirius, basking in the glow that was Sirius, enjoying more sex than his body could probably handle and doing it in more positions than his memory could handle, to be honest. However, Sirius was a flightly cloud. Although James managed to tie him down for a week, he was too much of a free agent to handle a relationship like the one James wanted. So, he broke up with James.

James spent a good few weeks crying into his pillow at night in his lonely bed. He hoped, beyond anything, that Sirius would one day want a relationship that James wanted, but after a few weeks, he reaslised this just wasn't going to happen with Sirius. So, he gave up on men and tried to get over Sirius.

"But it didn't work, did it?" Lily asked gently.

"No, no, it did. Or, I thought it did. But, well, you know about Sirius and Remus, don't you."

"Oh… Oh!" A look of comprehension dawned on her face.

"So, Sirius has settled down into the relationship you wanted, but with Remus."

"They're in love. God, they're so in love, and I want to be jealous or Remus, but I can't. It's... God, Lily, you should see them together. I could never want to take that away from either of them. Neither of them have had it easy, but when I woke up this morning and I saw them in bed together, curled around eachother... they looked so peaceful, so perfect. I guess that's why I'm crying. It... It reminds me of everything I want and everything I lost."

"You loved him, didn't you?"

"Yeah, yes, still do, in fact. I mean, I don't love him, miss him, as much as I did, but a part of me still... still feels it. I also... I was so angry at him. I thought, when I first heard they were together, that Sirius had just agreed to a date with Remus and Remmie had gone overboard. Sirius... Sirius can't have a relationship without sex and Remus can't have sex. I was so worried that he would hurt Remus. But Sirius... Sirius said there's a chance they might, one day in the not too distant future, even take that step... He's serious about Remus, really serious. And they've been together longer than they're making out. Months, even."

"Wait... You said Remus can't have sex, but you saw them in bed together. What's so important about Remus having sex?"

"Remus can only ever have one sexual partner in his life... I did see them in bed together... Oh Dear Lord!"

"Remus is a Werewolf?!"

"Remus and Sirius Mated!" They both stared, stunned, at eachother.

"I can't believe this... Remus is a Werewolf, isn't he? I always wondered about the strange disapearences… always around the full moon..."

"How…" James asked weakly.

"Oh... It was what you said... He can only have one sexual partner... A Werewolf is the only human that has that dilemma, except a Veela or a Valkarye, and as he's neither dark haired, silver eyed, nor attracting hordes of men to him, well, not more than usual, I'd say it's obvious he's a Werewolf. God... poor thing. How long has he been a Werewolf for? Does Dumbledore know?"

"Yeah, he was bitten when he was four. All the Proffessors know. Look, Lily, you won't give him a hard time about this, will you?"

"What?! Of course not! The poor thing has enough to deal with without bigoted bastards treating him unfairly because of something he can't help..." Her face had taken on a darkened look.

"Speaking from personal experience?" Lily just flushed, her eyes becoming strangely bright. James wrapped an arm around her, and they were content to comfort eachother for a while.

"Wait a minute... Did you call me Lily?"

"Well, when a woman walks in on a man crying, that's generally the point they begin using eachother's first names."

"Oh. Okay."

"..."

"James?"

"Hmm?"

"Oh, don't worry. I was seeing what it sounded like."

"Mhmm?"

"Not bad."

"Mmm."

"Yeah."

A/N. I have come to the conclusion this will be one of those chapters you read once, then ignore every time you go back. I decided to show you all the true story behind Sirius and Remus' relationship, as well as some developments for the future.

Well, R&R! Love ya peeps!


	6. 6 The Morning After

A/N I'm alive! I apologise for the excruciatingly long wait. I swear I posted this chapter already, but when I went into the bit to post this, it says I have chapters one through 5 but not 6, so here it is. Meh, I don't care, it's here.

Warnings, Disclaimers and Summary in chapter one.

The Deal.

Chapter 6, The Morning After.

When Sirius Black woke up that morning, he found himself wrapped securely around Remus Lupin. When said Remus Lupin then turned, half asleep, and pressed against him, Sirius nearly came right there.

"R… Remmie… uh, could you, move, please?" He gasped. The second Remus (still half-asleep) moved, Sirius bolted out of bed, deciding to take a quick shower. He registered vaguely that it was about lunchtime, and neither James nor Peter were in the room. Peter was probably stuffing his face at lunch.

He pulled his boxers off and stepped into the shower, turning the dial on warm and deciding to indulge himslef for a while.

"Sirius?"

"Remus? Is that you?"

"Yeah. Which stall are you in?"

"The end one. Oh, fuck, Remus, please stay away." He muttered under his breath. He heard a rustle, then saw Remus' face poking around the curtain. "Guess that's a no then."

"H…hi." Remus blushed as he realised what Sirius was doing. _Was_ being the operative word. "Umm, err... I'll just..."

"Yeah." Sirius muttered, flushing deeply. He wondered for a second if this was how Remus had felt the day before, but he then decided that this was probably much worse, considering Remus hadn't been fantasisning about _him_ when he was doing it.

Sirius, on the other hand, had been very deeply immersed in a Remus-induced fantasy when the real Remus (the one he was more than certain would _never_, in a million years, be pinned underneath him, begging him to fuck him) had interrupted.

"Actually," Remus said, turning back to the shower, and pulling his shirt off at the same time, "I think I'll stay." Sirius groaned internally, trying very, very hard to control himself. Remus was now fully naked (Sirius didn't dare look) and had stepped under the shower himself.

"Would you like a hand there, Siri?" He breathed into the black haried boy's ear, his hand already moving anyway.

"REMUS! What in Merlin's name –"

"I just thought I ought to return the favour from yesterday. Now, do be quiet." Remus followed this up by kissing Sirius deeply, maneouvering himself so that he could thrust his erection against Sirius' thigh in the process. Sirius, however, wouldn't stand for that, and the amber-eyed boy found himself pressed against the back wall of the stall, Sirius' hand urging him to completion while he did the same for the boy.

When they stepped out of the shower ten minutes later, Sirius instantly tugged Remus down onto his bed. After kissing the Werewolf for a few minutes, he asked him the question that had been plaguing his mind. Well, for the past 10 minutes, once the post-orgasmic high had worn off.

"Remmie, not that that was in any way unwanted or unappreciated, what on earth possesed you to come into my stall and..." Sirius paused for a second "Well... do _that_?"

"The wolf. It's the full moon tommorrow, and he gets a bit... rowdy, at this time." Remus went scarlet at this. "And anyway, you did it for me yesterday, I figured I should return the favour, like I said."

"Wait, wait, wait, so do you mean to tell me that for the two days before the full moon, the werewolf makes you, like, extra horny!" Remus flushed again.

"Well, that's a bit of a crass way of putting it, but yes." Sirius burst into hysterical giggles at this.

"Oh Merlin! Why didn't you tell us this before? This is fantastic!"

"Beacause I knew you'd do this! I was afraid you'd laugh at me, or pull away. Didn't you ever notice I got extra clingy around the moon?"

"Well, yeah, but I just figured it was your way of showing us how much you appreciated us and stuff. I never would have thought my innocent little Remmie would be thinking sexy thoughts. Bad, bad wolfie." He kissed Remus again. "But I think that you just managed to completely shatter the "perfect prefect" image I had of you." He promptly continued kissing the amber eyed boy.

It wasn't until dinnertime that either boy bothered moving from the bed. They'd spent the day sitting there, chatting away, kissing randomly in between. Remus finally summoned his Potions homework at about 3 in the afternoon (after discovering that they had woken up at 1) and Sirius spent the rest of the afternoon distracting him and plotting pranks.

They had been nicely settled down together, Remus leaning against Sirius' right side so that the other boy could write without him getting in the way (Sirius is left handed), and he was reading quietly now that his Potion's was finished, while Sirius finished up his latest ideas for a prank. This time it was against the Prefects, and various hangers-on. This did, unfortunately, mean that Remus would get hit as well, but Sirius agreed that he, James and Peter would all get hit as well to make it even. Besides, black hair was so _boring_ sometimes.

Finally, Sirius' stomach grumbled loudly, catching both boy's attention.

"What do you reckon, Remmie, dinner time?" Remus smiled and nodded, and they quickly put their stuff away, heading down for dinner.

The first thing that Sirius noticed was that James wasn't in the Great hall when he arrived. The second was that there was lots of food.

Who really cared where James was anyway?


	7. 7 Life and Love as We Know It

Everything's in the first chapter. Enjoy!

The Deal.

Chapter 7; Life and Love as We Know It.

Remus had a problem, a very serious one at that. He'd considered, briefly, the perils of pretending to date the bloke you fancied when he started this insane charade, but it wasn't until he found his hand wrapped firmly around Sirius' cock this morning that it hit him. What the hell was he doing? He was getting far too deep too fast. He had gone too far with this last one, and he couldn't continue lying to himself or to Sirius.

This wasn't a charade or a pretend relationship for Remus. This was the real deal, as far as he was concerned, and Sirius would be _so angry _when he realised this was the way Remus felt. And James - what was this doing to James? The poor man had been falling apart because of this, and Remus hated hurting such a close friend for _this_. There was only one thing he could really do, although it broke his heart just thinking about it. He was in love with Sirius, despite everything.

Sirius came into the Common Room at that moment, returning from a Kitchen Raid. It was far past curfew, and everyone else was in bed, but tomorrow was Sunday, so they could sleep in as long as they needed tomorrow morning. For now, they needed to talk.

"Sirius? Err... Sit. Please." Remus asked, wringing his hands nervously as he sat himself. Sirius nodded, grinning as he passed Remus a Butterbeer and sat beside him. Remus swallowed and began talking hurriedly to his hands.

"Well, Sirius, I've been thinking and I've decided in light of this morning - well, not just this morning, all of it really - I don't think we should do this anymore. We're just friends, and I think we seriously crossed the line somewhere and I think we should end this charade and go back to the way we were. You can go back to Mark or Adam or whatever his name was and I can try and find myself a real boyfriend." Remus chanced a glance up at Sirius as he swallowed a huge gulp of air followed by a similarly huge gulp of Butterbeer.

"Right." Sirius looked up at Remus, making his surprise and hurt behind a façade of nonchalance. "Okay. Are you heading up to bed?" Remus glanced up at the clock, flinched when he realised it was nearing three am and nodded.

"Yeah, I think so. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" Sirius sat back, leisurely swallowing a mouthful of Butterbeer.

"Tomorrow, yep. See you then." Remus just watched him for a few seconds before nodding once, finally, and going up to bed.

Sirius.

Sirius sighed once, as he watched Remus' cloak whip out of sight up the stairs. Remus just broke up with him. The reality is difficult to accept, to comprehend. He _had_ broken up with him, they'd done enough to constitute dating, being lovers, and Remus had just...

Why? Why the hell had Remus done that? Was Sirius not good enough? It's not like they were looking at forever (yet, anyway), but did he have to end it so soon?

Sirius tossed the empty Butterbeer bottle to the side and, after a brief hesitation, Summoned an illicit bottle of Firewhiskey from his Trunk. He'd brought it from home over Christmas, and now was as good a time as any to break it open.

Half an hour and nearly a quarter of a bottle of (neat) Firewhiskey later, and Sirius was stumbling upstairs. He stashed the rest of his Firewhiskey away and turned to go to bed. He paused, however, at the sight of Remus curled up in bed. There was a sliver of his curtains open and through them Sirius could see a peacefully sleeping, tear-streaked face. He sighed, slipping between the curtains and sitting down gently next to Remus. He traced one saline trail and sighed softly.

"Why, Remus? Why did you push me away? Why won't you let me in? If you want a nice, normal boyfriend, I can be that for you. I like you, Remus, I _love_ you, and I only wish you could see that." He murmured to the sleeping form of his friend. He pulled away and began to get up, but Remus mumbled unhappily and one hand gripped his wrist, a quiet "stay" escaping from his semi-conscious mind. Sirius, in all his (very, very drunk) wisdom, curls up next to his friend and settles into sleep, unconsciously tugging Remus closer in to him until they are both lying facing the tiny slip in the curtains (which, Sirius notes, has a perfect view of the window and the waning moon), Remus curled contently in his arms like two tiny kittens together.

Remus.

I went to bed alone, at three am, after ending things with Sirius. So how come it's barely eight and he's wrapped around me (and snoring. Loudly.) looking for all the world like we're lovers who always wake up like this.

Gods, this is nice.

Remus tried to crawl out of the bed, but he got as far as throwing the covers off and attempting to tug one of Sirius' hands off his waist when sleep-dulled grey eyes locked on to him and the arms tightened instinctively.

"Sirius, no. Let me go, I have to -."

"No, not letting you go. You're mine, I don't care what you say." Sirius mumbled, pressing a kiss to Remus' shoulder blades and settling down again, eyes fluttering closed with one final, possessive "mine." Remus hesitated, heart pounding in his throat, before eventually draping the cover back over them both and settling down to sleep a bit more. He could worry about everything else in the morning.


	8. Love Finds Us In The Strangest Places

Hey, new chapter. This is, I know, going incredibly slowly. And considering the fact that I am doing my AS levels, it's probably not going to get much better over to next 10 weeks or so. This is definitely taking a route I wasn't expecting. Not that it's a problem, of course!

The Deal.

Chapter 8, Love Finds Us In The Strangest Places.

Remus blinked his eyes open the next morning and groaned softly. The sun just _had_ to be at that impossible height where it shone straight into his eyes and burned through his brain. He rubbed his forehead, wincing at the bright glare, and rolled over, his mind supplying happy moans as he was enveloped in inky black. It stopped, and went into full alert mode, however, when he realised the inky black stuff was actually _hair_, and was attached to _another human being_.

"What! Wait, _Sirius_?" He groaned, finally remembering the previous night's drama.

"Mmm… Rem… g'to sleep." He mumbled, rolling over and pressing into Remus in ways that his traitorous teenage body really liked.

"Sirius, if you don't roll over now, certain parts of your anatomy will become very familiar with my knee." He sniped sternly, desperately fighting to stay in control.

"Rather they became _intimately_ familiar with other parts of your anatomy." He purred, latching onto Remus' neck like it was Honeydukes' best. Remus moaned before he could stop it, and tilted his chin wantonly away from Sirius, giving him complete access.

Sirius was quick to take the opportunity, and Remus melted under the sensual touch, trying to push his doubts aside. He welcomed Sirius' hands on his body like they belonged there, and didn't even think about it when he arched his hips to help Sirius take off his bottoms. He came to awareness sharply, however, when he realised Sirius was staring at him, and he looked up. Sirius was staring at him, seemingly drinking in the sight of Remus lying wantonly in the bed, and Remus felt a dark flush steal over his cheeks. He'd never – _never _–been this vulnerable in front of someone else before, and he felt nervous. He relished the feeling, however, recognising that even partially dressed and very much in control, Sirius wouldn't hurt him. He brushed his lingering fears aside and reached out a hand, welcoming Sirius into his embrace. He moaned against heated skin as Sirius settled over him, and brushed his hands across the warm skin of Sirius' back.

Sirius pulled away slightly and his hand fumbled around their waistline. Remus wondered what he was doing for the whole of a second before he succumbed to the pleasure Sirius' hand was –probably accidentally – causing. He moaned sadly as Sirius' hand finally came away –clutching his trousers, Remus noted dimly – but arched as Sirius, obviously heartened by Remus' positive reactions, rocked against him. Oh yes, he could gladly wake up every morning like this.

The thought made him still – only barely registering that for him to _stop_ moving, he had to have been _moving_ in the first place. Sirius stilled as well, looking down at him with a worried frown.

"Remus, what -."

"Did you take no notice of what I said yesterday? I... I stopped this for a _reason_ Sirius!"

"A bad reason! Did it not occur to you, Remus, that maybe I was doing this," He illustrated "this" with a grind of his hips that left Remus gasping, "because I want to? Because I like you and the idea of spending another day _not_ doing this had me more depressed than I'd care to admit. I... I really like you, Remus. As a person, as a friend and especially as a lover, if you'll let me. This _is_ more than just pretending, and it has been for a while. I've done the deed and I've felt the emotion behind it and I will be damned to hell if I'm going to let you walk away from this because it started as a way to protect your reputation. If it really bothers you then we'll start here, like this.

Will you be mine, Remus? Will you go on dates with me, will you care for me, will you try to love me? Will you be at my side today, tomorrow and forever?" Remus swallowed, touched, and nodded.

"Yes." He whispered, feeling oddly like he'd just been proposed to. He smirked wickedly at his lover and rocked his hips upward. "I may, however, change my mind if you don't move in the next few seconds."

Sirius hurriedly complied and Remus was soon coming; laughing and crying into Sirius' shoulder and feeling oddly like the entire world had just righted itself around Sirius.

Remus was glowing when they walked into the Great Hall for breakfast and Sirius, being dragged along by his hand, felt more than smug at the knowledge that he was the cause of the ethereal glow. After they'd both come (and he could have sworn Remus had been laughing although the younger man had protested vehemently that he hadn't) they'd completed their nearly ritualistic mutual shower. Remus had been laughing and smiling and more happy than Sirius could ever remember seeing him. If he made Remus happy just be doing that - whatever it was exactly that he'd done that put such a grin on Remus' face – he wondered what Remus would be like when Sirius proposed.

"Hey Remus!" Amos Diggory shouted. Remus grinned and tried to raise his hand to wave back before he realised it was attached to Sirius' in a grip he wasn't about to release any time soon. Sirius had to bite back laughter than bubbled up when he noticed the little blush on Remus' cheeks as he waved instead with the other hand, grinning madly.

"Well, look who finally got laid." Sirius stiffened at the sneering voice behind him and turned around, expecting the worst. What he got was worse. Lucius Malfoy was standing there, sneering at then in a way that made Sirius' mother look like she was grinning… well, like Remus had been a moment ago.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" He groaned, trying not to rub his head. His little brother was standing to the side of Malfoy and Sirius had no doubt the little snitch would be reporting their every word to his mother. Snape was in there as well, and Sirius flinched at the reminder of his stupid actions the previous year. HE squeezed Remus' hand tighter, and tried ot ignore the speculative, smug look in Snape's eyes. He didn't know anything except what his tiny pea brain had surmised from Lucius' words, and he wouldn't risk expulsion to say anything.

"We were just wondering when you were going to introduce your new boyfriend to the family, Sirius." Lucius – his damned cousin now – smiled sweetly at him. Narcissa was hanging off his arm, and Bellatrix was behind them, next to Snape, with _her_ husband. Rudolf, or something equally as ridiculous. What they were even doing in Hogwarts, he didn't want to know, as only Snape, Narcissa and Regulus were even members of the school now.

"Really, Lucius, I thought we discussed your habit of talking about yourself and your nose like it's a separate entity. Just because it's big enough to own property…" He trailed off with a smug smirk when Lucius' fist clenched and he stepped forward threateningly.

"You will live to regret everything you've ever said of done to us, Sirius." He growled lowly. Sirius' eyes ran over the group, settling on Snape.

"To the... family, right? Only I don't recall Snape being a part of this _family_ by blood or marriage, unless he intends to marry Regulus in which case I may feel actual pity for him for the first time. Imagine, being the first Black after dear Andy to marry a Mudblood." He grasped Remus' elbow and pulled him away, leaving Snape to the incredulous and angry glares of his housemates and "family".

"Why did you do that?" Remus asked, his voice wavering slightly. Sirius looked at him and sighed sadly.

"They were going to rip you to shreds Rem, and I couldn't let that happen, not today."

"But Snape -."

"What about Snape? Believe me, I did him a favour!"

"How?"

"He's a half-blood. Chances are, my family would have found out. Before or after he married Reg, the result is the same; he would have been cast out, hated. At least this way he can walk away; after the marriage he would have been stuck with them whether he liked it or not until he or Reg died."

"But... What if he really loved Regulus?" Remus' voice was soft, and Sirius saw the agonies behind his gaze. He himself was a half-blood involved with a member of the Black family after all.

"Then he'll get to find out if Reg loves him enough to turn his back on his family for him. To walk away for everything he has ever know and into a world of uncertainty; for the man he loves."

"You already knew..."

"My mother took great delight in informing me that Regulus had "fallen in love with a wondrous young man and they were to be married in the Autumn after Regulus turned seventeen." She took further delight, I'm sure, in informing me that the "wonderful young man" was, in fact, Snape."

"They are in love?"

"There's no doubt about that, Regulus has liked Snape for years. The question is, does he love him _enough_?"

Regulus Black, the Great progeny of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, curled up on his bed with tears streaming down his face. His mother's response to Sirius' revelation had been swift; the engagement was off and if he was ever found having contact with _that filth_ again he would face severe punishment. He buried his head into his arms, trying to push the tears at bay. This was always the way with them; he was always the one who faced the severe punishments. There was Sirius, going around fucking any mud-blood or muggle-born in the school without any retribution but Regulus was banned from seeing the man he _loved_ for fear of swift and cruel punishment.

There was only one thing to do, he knew. It was something he had been putting off for a while, even though eh knew it would come eventually. He'd known ever since Sirius had worked up the courage to walk out, throwing angry insults and barbs at all three members of the family as he did so. He had to talk to Sirius; he knew the way out.

He crept out of the dormitories, careful to slink in the shadows as Severus had taught him as he made his way up to the Gryffindor Tower. He used the password before the suspicious Portrait could alert anyone and climbed up to where he knew Sirius' Dorm was. The first year he'd bribed into telling him the new passwords was very good and accurate, and Regulus would be sure to thank her later.

He had reached the Dorm and pushed the door open a little way. He was nearly inside when he heard Sirius speaking to his little lover.

"As far as I'm concerned, Regulus had his chance when I asked him to come with me. He's one of them, he can deal with it like they would."

"I don't think he can bribe your parents into forgetting that their new son in law is a "Mudblood".

"Regulus could probably do a lot of things. But no, their way of dealing with things like this is pretending they don't exist – as in Severus doesn't exist. Believe me, if my mother could do it to her son, Regulus can do it to his lover."

Regulus' breath caught in his throat – was Sirius really abandoning him? He couldn't stay and listen to his brother say these things about him any more, so he fled down the stairs, nearly tripping on one of them and sailing headfirst down the lat two flights. He managed to regain his footing and his composure long enough to get out of the Common Room relatively unscathed and down to the Slytherin Common Room. He _wasn't _like that – he wasn't!

Regulus paced backwards and forwards several times, battling with himself over what to do. He wanted to prove Sirius wrong – he was good and he loved Severus. He was afraid though, he had no idea what to do about it.

He absentmindedly picked up a shirt that was lying on the floor and went to hang it up. when he opened the closet, however, he stopped. All of these clothes - his mother bought them all.

He gathered up all of the clothes and piled them in the empty fireplace. His mother would never control him again, and he was going to start here. No more of these stupid, stiff, "presentable" robes. He checked that he had one more outfit ready for tomorrow, so that no one would notice any changes and he could talk to Severus first. He shot a bolt of flame at the pile in the fireplace and sat back on his bed to watch the flames consume what had once been fine (not to mention expensive) robes. The fire was quite therapeutic, and he felt better with each piece of clothing that disappeared. He smiled, a genuine smile gracing his lips for once, as his finest robes - the ones he'd piled on the top - were attacked by burning flames and curled into crisp cinders. Flakes of charred fabric floated about the fireplace before flickering flames licked at them and they crumbled into dust particles.

The fire finally stopped and Regulus stood up, clearing away the ashes and scraps of material, before placing logs in the grate and lighting the fire so the room would be warm when the other boys came in. As for him, he had some shopping to do.

"Sirius, you don't mean that!" Remus cried, shocked and sad. His amber eyes were wide and his face was twisted in a way that only upset emotional people can manage.

"Regulus is -." Remus cut Sirius off impatiently.

"Regulus is your brother! He loves you, and I truly believe he loves Snape. Give him another chance, Sirius. He deserves it."

"Why? Because he suffered the same parentage as I did. Newsflash, I'm not part of that anymore! I walked away! He'd deserve another chance if I though he'd do the same."

"You had us. He didn't. All he had was _you_ Sirius, and you're intending to abandon him as well. He deserves it because he's_ not _another one of them. He's different, more innocent and I think, with your support, this could be the thing to finally turn him."

"Well... You're right, I did have you but... But..." Sirius trailed off, struggling to find a way to justify his arguments.

"But Regulus has no one and he needs you." Sirius sighed and nodded defeatedly.

"I'll talk to him in the morning." Remus smiled proudly at Sirius and Sirius felt a shiver race through him. Making Remus happy had always made him feel good; the younger man seemed so solemn and serious that making him truly happy was a rare treat.

He slinked towards Remus, affecting a predatory air that made Remus simultaneously laugh and groan. Sirius stifled a grin and instead smirked seductively at Remus. Remus snorted, but the flush rising on his cheeks and the gleam in his eye told Sirius that he wasn't completely unaffected. Sirius sidled closer, before relaxing a little, causing Remus to relax as well. Once the honey haired boy was relaxed, Sirius pounced pushing Remus back onto the bed and kissing him. Remus moaned, mumbled in shock and laughed at the same time - a feat that made Sirius wriggle happily, causing Remus to moan louder.

"Do you have any idea how much I owe you? How much I love you, and James and Peter, for being there for me? How much I love you?"

Remus' breath caught, and Sirius could see him struggle to find some reply. Finally, he smiled tremulously and pulled him gently down to kiss him, a whisper brushing across his lips.

"I know."


	9. Forever

Severus Snape was a Master at predicting people's reactions to situations. Being a Mudblood in Slytherin House left him at a disadvantage; and he was unable to rectify that with money or charm. He was forced to find other methods and so he watched people, learned their ways and, over time, learned how to use his knowledge to manipulate them into doing what he wanted. It worked well, and unlike Lucius' money or Regulus' charm, his hand wasn't noticed in the proceedings.

There were, of course, people who he couldn't predict. The Headmaster was one of those infuriating people, and so was Sirius Black. Black somehow always managed to do things – yesterday's little stunt being a prime example – that surprised him and often put him at a disadvantage. Potter used to be the same, although recently Severus had become much better at predicting him. Lupin, also, seemed predictable, but he was one of the even more infuriating breed who, just when you thought you had them figured, did something to surprise you and threw it all out the window. He hated it, hated the fact that these people of all could throw him off and do things he would never be able to predict.

Slytherins were among the easiest to predict. As long as they were going to benefit from it and wouldn't get caught out or in trouble for it, they were willing to do whatever it needed and could be relied upon to provide you with exactly what you wanted,whether they knew it or not. This was usually a strength, because it made them the easiest to manipulate and get your own way with. Unfortunately, in this case, severus wasn't going to get what he wanted. Regulus, as predictable as any Slytherin, would not stay with Severus now. He'd received a curt note from Regulus' mother yesterday informing him that the engagement was off, and now he just had to wait for Regulus to disavow him. And, in true Slytherin style, to be sure of no mistake or doubt, it would be very public, and very painful.

Severus waited, the latent part of him that believed in right and wrong knowing that Regulus at least deserved that for the lies Severus had allowed him to believe. Regulus would, Severus knew, wait until the busiest time, when as many people as possible would be in the Hall. So Severus would have to wait until then, until Regulus came in and publicly announched that their relationship was over.

Sirius watched Regulus walk in the door with the same nervousness he imagined parents felt the first time their child went on a date, or the first day at school; knowing they had imparted all their knowledge and morals into their children, and now all they could do was watch and hope their children did what was best.

When he saw what Regulus was wearing - a nice, white schoolshirt as part of the uniform that was a little too silky and tight, and a pair of incredibly tight (dragon hide? Were they _Dragon hide_) black trousers on, and a wicked, confident smirk on his lips, he felt a thrill of pride and utter joy for his brother.

"I knew he could do it." He whispered to Remus, who turned to look at Sirius with confusion in his eyes for the brief moments it took for Sirius' statement to sink in. Once he understood, he turned to look at regulus, who was -

"Oh, my! I didn't know he had it in him." Remus gasped, as he watched his boyfriend's younger borther kiss Severus Snape, deeply and very passionately on the Slytherin table. Sirius just laughed delightedly, before kissing Remus joyfully.

"I knew it! I knew he'd do it. Oh, I'm so proud of him. My little brother, Remus. My little brother!"

Remus just shook his head and laughed with Sirius.

Epilogue.

"Happy birthday Moony!"

Twenty year old Remus Lupin giggled quietly as his boyfriend deposited a birthday cake in front of him and proceeded to urge him (quite loudly and quite badly slurring in the process) to blow the candles out.

"Make a wish, Moony!" James called from his position beside his pregnant wife (not that anyone other than Lily and the sensitive Werewolf knew that). Remus glanced around at the people gathered in the room; Regulus and Severus (who had given him the most wonderful join gift of both becoming Animagi as well), James, Lily, "bump", Sirius and Orion.

"What am I supposed to wish for," Remus began, giggling as Orion began licking at his fingers and barking happily at the celebratory atmosphere in the room (or the fumes from the copious amount of alcohol he'd consumed) "except maybe that Peter could have been here. I have my family, and I have my friends. I don't need anything else…" he told them, feeling uncharacteristic tears well in his eyes both at the happiness of this moment, and at the sadness of remembering Peter in Azkaban. "I never expected I'd ever have anything like this… I love you all…"

Lily, the only sober one, laughed at him; although everyone else looked distinctly teary-eyed as well. "Before you start singing sappy love songs at us, blow the candles out man! Make your wishes on stars or something instead…"

"Hey, I'm the only star he'll be doing anything on!" Sirius heckled. Remus shook his head in amusement and quickly blew out the candles.

"Uhh, Sirius… Did you need to blow out every candle in the house? I can't actually _see_…"

The two of them were dressing for bed, both in their customary boxers, when Remus felt Sirius' arm wrap around his waist, and trace along the line of his boxers.

"I have another birthday present for you, Remus…" Remus turned around in Sirius arms and smiled encouragingly at him.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Me. Forever. Officially. I want you to mate with me, Remus."

Remus grinned wolfishly at him, before kissing him tenderly.

"I'd be honoured to, Sirius… But I'd rather it be the other way around our first time, if that's alright with you…" That said, he backed Sirius onto the bed and began the long task of showing his love for his new mate.

The end.


End file.
